Kansas Republican Assembly Statement of Principles

Unalienable Rights: We believe that man’s rights flow from the Creator. The rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are unalienable and cannot be legitimately granted or rescinded by men.

Judeo-Christian Foundation: We believe in the guiding force of moral law as expressed by the Judeo-Christian ethic and contained in the Holy Scriptures of these historic faiths.

Self-Government: We believe that the only answer to the current moral decline in our nation is a return to the beliefs and standards of morality which our Founding Fathers placed in the Constitution. President Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people: it is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Education: We believe in the rights of parents to select a quality education for their children. We support parental choice and competition among schools. The education of our children should not be compromised by a particular political agenda.

Taxes: We believe that the current federal tax system is abusive, and that it discourages investment and growth. We believe in a growth-oriented tax policy such as the Fair-Tax, which would gradually eliminate punitive, confiscatory income taxes, and encourage economic growth.

Free Enterprise: We believe in the free enterprise system as the best hope for men and women to fulfill their economic hopes and dreams. The free market is the most efficient and the least costly system to deliver the highest quality goods and services at the lowest price to the consumer. We will support only those who support the free enterprise system through legislation to reduce or eliminate intrusive government intervention in the marketplace.

Family: We believe that the traditional American family, consisting of persons related by blood or adoption through the marriage of one man and one woman, is the cornerstone of our American society, and the government is duty-bound to protect the integrity of the family unit through legislation and tax policies.

Sanctity of Life: We believe that the preborn child is a human being, possessing the same unalienable rights as all other people and entitled to full protection of the law.

National Defense: We believe in a strong and consistent national defense. We believe in “victory over”, and not “accommodation with”, tyranny in any form or philosophy.

Right to Keep and Bear Arms: We believe that the Second Amendment guarantees individual citizens the unqualified right to keep and bear arms.

Victims’ Rights: We believe in the concept of victims’ rights over the rights of any criminal. We support a system of restitution as a deterrent to crime and recidivism.

National Sovereignty: We believe in nationalism, and that Government’s first concern is the welfare and protection of the American people and their sovereign right to rule themselves without deference to any foreign or international body. We support free trade over protectionism, and support political leaders who will adopt policies that create fair and competitive trade.

Decentralized Government: We believe in the supreme power of individual citizens, over the powers of the state; a principle enshrined in the Tenth Amendment. We believe that only small government truly serves the needs of the people, and that those governments closest to the people are the most responsive to their needs. We affirm the principle of Federalism, and its establishment in the form created by our Founding Fathers.